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Mary Altaffer / AP
New York City Fire Department Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano, seen here in 2010, had no comment Tuesday on offensive tweets by his son, Joseph, an emergency medical technician.
The son of New York City's fire commissioner quit his job as a city emergency medical technician Monday after a report that he made offensive posts about blacks, Jews and women on Twitter.
Joseph Cassano resigned only a few hours after issuing an apology for the tweets. His father, Commissioner Salvatore Cassano, said he was “extremely disappointed” by his son’s online comments and that they did not reflect his values.
The New York Post reported that the younger Cassano’s now-disabled Twitter account included posts such as "I like jews about as much as hitler" and "Getting sick of picking up all these obama lovers and taking them to the hospital because their medicare pays for an ambulance and not a cab."
In other tweets, he used a derogatory slang term for black people, threatened to leave the U.S. if President Obama was re-elected and made a snide crack about Martin Luther King Jr., the newspaper said. He also reportedly wrote that every girl should be forced to get a "boob job" when she turns 18.
Cassano, 23, also complained about his job as a city EMT, and alluded to a plan to follow in his father's footsteps and become a firefighter, the Post reported.
In a statement issued through the FDNY, the son did not acknowledge specific tweets but said he took "full responsibility my comments."
"From the bottom of my heart, I’m truly sorry and I apologize for my offensive remarks. My intention was never to hurt anyone, or any group, and these tasteless comments do not reflect the person my parents raised me to be," he wrote.
The elder Cassano said the situation was “very painful” to him as a parent but backed his son’s decision to step down from a job he has held since December and which could have given him an edge in becoming a firefighter.
“I love him very much and, with the support and love of our entire family, we will get through this together,” the commissioner said.
Cassano, who took over the top Fire Department job in January of 2010, also said he has worked hard for years “to make the FDNY more diverse and inclusive” and would not tolerate statements that damage the department’s reputation.
The Fire Department has been embroiled in a federal lawsuit brought by the Justice Department in 2007 over its racial makeup, which was 89 percent white.
In 2010, a judge halted hiring and ordered the city to create a new entrance exam; the following year, he appointed a monitor to oversee recruitment and hiring. The city has appealed, but a record number of minorities took the latest test last spring, and 40 percent of those in line to get the coveted jobs are black or Hispanic.
Before the resignation, a lawyer for the Vulcan Society — a fraternal organization of black firefighters, which joined the feds' discrimination suit against the department — called the younger Cassano's tweets disgraceful.
"I suppose one shouldn't visit the sins of the son upon the parent, but as John lives at home with his father the FDNY commissioner you can't help wondering about the influence of that home on his disgracefully racist views," the lawyer, Richard Levy, said in an email to NBC News.
Ron Meier, New York regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said he was "encouraged" by the younger Cassano's apology.
"The sentiment Mr. Cassano communicated in those posts threatens to damage and undermine public trust in FDNY. We urge Mr. Cassano to take meaningful steps that reflect the regret he has expressed," Meier said in a statement.
The head of the union that represents emergency medical technicians said he was hoping the report was "not true."
"The union does not condone this type of behavior," said Israel Miranda, president of Local 2507 of District Council 37.
Leave a Comment:
He sure sounds like one of those intolerant Democrats!
truth hurts and liberals "cant handle the truth"
He sure does!
And neither can the "conservatives"/right-wingers. This is coming from a GDI, so don't try to put me in either category.
Arthur66, how can you possibly say he sounds like "one of those intolerant Democrats" when he hates Jews and Blacks and said he'd leave the country if Obama was re-elected? Are you being sarcastic? If so, it's very heavy-handed and obtuse.
Young Cassano is most likely evidencing the attitudes and sentiments he learned at home.
I'm sure everyone in his family will deny that they ever held any such attitudes.
How is that offensive? His experience may show him evidence that it's true.
I like that comment though, this must FD union must not be related to mine which is berating the treasurer using sexist slurs because she attempted to fix our union created pension fiasco.
I guess it's only offensive when it's not a union rally. Scumbags.
Damn Spics and Guneas. When will they learn you shouldn't be prejudicial. Just treat everyone with respect and as equals.
Not only does the young man's statements in this article reflect typical T-bagger mentality, so do the all the above comments supporting this man's views. Democrats don't talk this way and neither do most Independents. It's the GOP that has become one giant promotional organization of the KKK.
Stunningly stupid and it demonstrates how much trouble we are in as a country.
Ah, so you're a bigot too. Way to prove a point by being what you claim everyone else is.
Sure sounds like a conservative to me. I've heard many conservatives say the exact same thing. But I haven't seen a one pack his $h!t yet.
Well, since he's sick of his job, makes derogatory remarks toward, then passes judgement, of the public to whom he was hired to serve, his employment should be terminated immediately. I wonder if he took the FDNY oath?
Regardless of party affiliation, the guy is obviously a born again hater! Perhaps he'd like to join the WBC.
BMette
Not necessarily. My youngest brother turned sharp right, hates everything Obama, and speaks of virtually everyone he meets as being of some race or another... 180 degrees from our parents, me, and my other brother. I have yet to find where all that hate came from, but it didn't come from home in our case.
It has been a reality for decades that some people on Medicaid call an ambulance in non-emergent situations because Medicaid will pay for the ambulance and then they don't have to find (and pay for) their own transportation. When you work as an EMT and are delayed in getting to critically ill people because of people taking advantage of the system, it can get frustrating. 23 year olds don't often deal with that frustration well. I have been associated with people in healthcare for 40 years who have expressed these concerns. These comments only become a cause for termination (for forced resignation) when some idiot post these comments on public sites.
tjohn, I'd really be interested in knowing what you do for a living, what frustrates you about your job and what comments you may have made in the heat of the moment that could get you fired too.
I guess public opinion does have some effect. Thank god he resigned from the job before he could be fired. That saves some face for his father, hehe.
Smokey'sMom, when thsi white guy voted for Obama in '08 and then spoke out against some of his policies that I did not like, the liberal Democrats called me bigoted and racist. Nothing I said was racist or bigoted, but the tolerant ones of your ilk berated me because i dared to have an opinion. The KKK came from the Democrat party way back when and have nothing at all to do with the discussion here. You've just shown us an example of how you tolerant ones only tolerate your own beliefs.
I don't agree with the racist stuff this guy posted, but his comment about ambulances being used as taxi cabs because it is covered by Medicare and taxi cabs are not is spot on. You can complain that he called them Obama lovers, but even I have to admit that Obama has become Santa Claus to special interest groups to garner their support for his Presidency. He has purposely split this country down lines of race and class like no President in my memory.
honestdebate
Try as you might with your double-reverse logic, you make no sense... it's 3rd grade non-sense tantamount to "I know you are but what am I?".
Not real convincing. You need to change your name... I've seen your other posts.
Please LMarcT, tell me what I said that isn't true.
Let me guess, union guy and you just can't accept any criticism to precious unions even though it is true??
Yeah, but this shouldn't stop him from becoming a NY Fire Fighter. Right?
Tell me that you really cannot figure this one out! XD Let me tell you a little secret about your brother who was a Democrat until Obama took office.
HE IS A RACIST
I can't believe you could be so clueless to that. Have a coming out party for him. It's no big deal. There are a lot of people with that condition. It's actually very common. Ever read any of these comments from the vine? Tell him to choose his favorite Obama/Hitler pic for his avatar and join our "conversations". ;-)
I think LMarcT has that figured out.
The point of confusion is where it came from. What LMarcT is saying is that you can't paint the Father with the same brush as the Son, as it is quite possible the racist son's views are NOT the views he was taught from his parents.
You might have a point if it was ONE remark in the "heat of the moment" but it was consistent comments. Either that or he had way too many "heats of the moment" to be an EMT, much less a firefighter!
To paraphrase ...
"In Twitter Veritas"
What an @!$%#, but hey, what's new, New York fire and police are full of these types. What's really funny is "he threatened to leave the U.S. if President Obama was re-elected," another Limbaugh @!$%#, who's STILL here and the President WAS re-elected. Goes to show the hypocrites these people are.
Perhaps its more than one comment Beth because nothing ever happens to change the situation.
joemike 1.13 and Beth 1.21,
I'm a network administrator for a public school district of 5500 student with 15 years service. I can say with all honesty that I LOVE my job. My employer (BOE) is fair and reasonable. My supervisors are respectful and appreciative. My co-workers are the greatest (no backstabbing or glory grabbing). The community is supportive. Even the students are amazingly impressive and decent. There is one basic underlying theme, "It's all about the kids." Granted it's not utopia by any means but it's teamwork at it's finest. Certainly there is that element of employees, parents, and students who may feel disenfranchised at some point but we all know that you can't please all the people 100% of the time. And yes, technology is very big in education but the money to support it is tight and the pressure and the workload can be and is, very demanding.
What frustrates me about my job you ask? Well, it's conservatism! The kind of conservatism that vilifies me, my employer, my co-workers, and teachers as hateful, lazy, incompetent, good for nothing, useless, uncaring, stupid, godless, under worked, over paid, over pensioned, greedy union thugs who have financially drained society and doomed our future by churning out hopelessly uneducated godless children! A totally inaccurate, false and ugly picture of public education created by those who would rather distort and deceive the image of public employees rather than present a rational and logical dialog for the conservative's issue regarding the constitutionality of the US Department of Education.
I can say with all honesty that I do not need to make disparaging, derogatory, racial, or socioeconomically vile/vulgar remarks/comments about those in the community that employee me. I am an "at will" employee and my employment can be terminated by me or my employer at any time.
tjohn
Bravo!
tjohn --- did you miss the point I was tearing a hole in his argument?
RE Beth 1.26
No, I didn't miss the point. Actually, yours was a very valid point that needed to be expressed. I just referenced the two posts that I was quoted in. I should have put a big "RE" by your names. My apologies for the confusion.
tjohn - sounding a bit hot under the collar there in paragraph 3.
beth - "tearing a hole in my argument? What was my argument?
Previously spewed...
No he hasn't. Sounds like your racism tolerance is being tested. Obama has been a champion of the middle class his entire career. The only ones dividing this nation are people like yourselves.
Hey tjohn, it isn't up to teachers to introduce students to God. That responsibility is for the parents according to many quotes from the bible. Parents are responsible for the souls of their children.
joemike 1.29
I can't help how you want to perceive my posts. That lies solely with you.
Ray 1.31
Agreed! I never said it was. Please show me where I made that claim in my post. However, conservatives never miss the opportunity to twist, distort and blame the removal of God from the classroom as a pretext for the failure of public education and the disservice it does to students.
Will the dept. take appropriate action with his father being the commissioner? How long before we see an update to this story?
@Arthur: You mean those intolerant members of the GOP, don't you? After all, his tweets seem to be against the dems, since his racial slurs were directed at those who normally are members of the Democratic party.
Just another immature kid who will skate through life thanks to daddy's influence. Just like the Kennedys.
He does sounds a lot like GWB. Maybe someday he'll be our President.
Let's hope not, Bob.
Patton, I agree with some of that. At 23 he should have a better handle on his "twitter". I also wonder if the lawyer is right, since he still lives with his parents. I wrote yesterday about the rape case in Stubenville, Oh. (my home state) and the comment the victim's mother had. She said we are born with empathy and morality. We are born with the ability to learn those emotions and values but they must be taught by example. When I was 23 I had been married for 3 years and mother of 2 kids, then aged one and two. I was responsible to them, my husband and to repay all the obligations we took on as a family. Not every rich kid is a spoiled brat or intolerant, but the odds of them not being those things are against them. If I were a N.Y. resident I would hope not to have my life in his hands considering the tweets. If he thought those things were funny, he needs to get kicked out of his father's house, live alone and try to make it all by himself. Children live what they learn. He got those opinions some where. He is so shallow and seemingly bigoted, he learned that. Whether it was at home or not, it still doesn't speak highly of his character.
Uh, I hardly think that being an EMT, the child of a firefighter, is analogous to being a Kennedy. We are talking two completely different classes in society.
The EMT is a racist, and his apology is empty. I'm embarrassed for their family.
He's tired of picking up "Obama supporters" on the public dole but he still lives at home with Mommy and Daddy. Hey Pot, meet Kettle!
When you have a mayor and police commissioner that you can liken to Grand Wizards of the Ku Klux Klan that's what you get!
If this young man exhibits such callousness, resentment, and anger toward the public that he's supposed to serve, I just wonder how he got the job in the first place. Certainly, a person who voices such contempt for the public should not remain in the public employ.
If young Cassano was hired because of his father's influence (oh, heaven forbid!), then young Mr. Cassano himself is on the hidden dole, and has had his livelihood doled out to him by his father.
Moreover, if young Mr. Cassano really hates his job so much, then he should resign and find employment elsewhere. It's that simple.
Kid deserves to be fired. Period. He sets a terrible example, but it is indicative of the wider problem within ALL fire/EMT departments. It just seems to attract these types, kinda like the Catholic church attracting pedophiles. It has to do with power and entitlement. That's what they want, because many of them believe that they put their lives on the line for everyone, they should be upheld to the point of being a God or reverent being.
Sorry guys, you picked a job where you place your life on the line every day. The people you are supposed to serve didn't ask you to, nor do they owe you anything more than simple gratitude. You are not entitled to "Rock Stardom". Pride sure is destructive, isn't it. The only antidote is humility.
I pray that Smokey has had other influences in his life besides his bigoted mother.
BTW, anyone who would post such sick tweets should not be allowed to continue to work in a government job. Since Obama was re-elected, you have to wonder why he hasn't quit and followed through with his threat to leave the country. Maybe he should go live in Iran.
I wish he would quit - it is frightening to think that as an EMT, he decides, through a racist lens, who gets medical attention and how quickly.
And he has quit as of this afternoon. Good!!!
Time to find a new job..... it seems this young man is tired of the one he has. Time for him to go away.
Stupid cannot be cured.
I wonder who pushed him out..... If I were a betting man, Daddy pushed him out.
There is no possible way that someone who would post such comments about people of certain races, women, etc. is treating any of those people with anything remotely resembling respect. This is the LAST person who should be allowed anywhere near his fellow man. What a shameful embarrassment for the people of NYC.
He's probably one of the ones complaining about bloated government and too many people,like him, on the government payroll
NYC Councilman Charles Barron has said much worse things for many years, yet no one calls for him to resign.....can you guess why he gets away with his hate talk??......
As a person of color I assure you that Mr. Barron is a huge embarrassment to all humanity(not just black people) when he speaks.
Looks like Art66 and little Mike have trouble reading. BWAAAHAAAAAAAA.
We shouldn't laugh at the mentally challenged.
That's and insult to the mentally challenged.
Twitter. The perfect tool for weeding out the stupid.
These blacks make me sick with their OPC.
Here is another of VoiceAmerica's little gems:
Every picture ever taken of God and Jesus show them to be white!
Another post from VA:
Why is this sorry excuse for a human being still allowed to post on here?
Can we all take a step back and realize that any punishment in this case is a violation of the first amendment. The woosification of the nation is unbearable these days. None of the readers or commenters understand the stress of city EMS. Let the man vent. There were no HIPAA violations or anything pertinent to his duties as an EMT.
And anyone who is trying to turn this into a race war over the internet is uneducated and shouldn't be posting anything in the first place.
Come come now. He has a purpose.
If a turd like VA says something you find valid, it's time to do a quick ethics/morality check or get off the crack pipe.
Plus, isn't it helpful when the worthless dregs of society identify themselves so eagerly? It ensures you never accidentally waste time caring what the waste of space thinks.
Hey Freebird, look up the meaning of 'political satire'. Plus, I have multiple IP addresses and 30 different registries. Good luck with that.
Nope. Not. Even. Close. The First Amendment guarantees the right to protected speech, not protection of the consequences of said speech. Can I go out and yell that my boss is a dumbass at the top of my lungs? Yes, absolutely! Can I be fired for it? Yes, absolutely!
"Can we all take a step back and realize that any punishment in this case is a violation of the first amendment. "
The 1st Amendment certainly guarantees your right to say stupid things. What it DOES NOT guarantee is that the stupid things you say will be consequence-free. I think your understanding of the Constitution is a bit weak.
*Or what Bob Freebird said.
Hey, VoiceAmerica, STFU. I understand politcal satire; if that was your goal, you failed miserably.
Freebird, with all your cursing, you're rather emotional aren't you? That makes my day. Keep feeding me.
Hey Freebird, look up the meaning of 'political satire'. Plus, I have multiple IP addresses and 30 different registries. Good luck with that.
You must be Feisty/ Beverly/ Indiana/ etc.
Makesense, all those and many, many more.
VA-you do a fine job of feeding yourself. Because you can. Glad you don't call yourself Voice of America. Because you're not.
Really? Then by all means, leave the country and go someplace where Black people aren't in such an abundance!! As a matter of fact, just kill yourself and you won't have to worry about us "Blacks" anymore!!
VoiceAmerica is still suffering from the time he saw his mother screwing the black mailman.
The First Amendment guarantees you freedom from GOVERNMENT persecution related to free speech against IT, not individuals, employers, etc. That's why you can be fired or sued for libel/slander if what you say causes damage, particularly if it's full of hate and lies, which in this case, that's exactly what it is.
Our Constitutions isn't a document of absolutes, as many on the far right love to believe it is. There are limits.
The only appropriate action is to fire him at once. If you were an African American or a Jewish person, would you want to ride in an ambulance with him, or have him responsible for your CPR?
Outrageous if Mayor Bloomberg's office does not take action to FIRE him.
No time. Bloomban's office is too busy with soft drinks and cigarettes.
Yeah, this whole foray into people's health habits is VERY annoying. As if "not seeing" the cig packs is going to do anything. What's next, beer purchases from basements only? Dude needs to find better things to do with his time, for sure!
Way to raise a caring, compassionate child, Mr. Commissioner. Fire the punk. If he wasn't your child, you would have done it already.
A 23 year old kid who no one would care the least about except for who his dad is and who he offended. Had he offended old white men or Republicans everyone would clap and laugh it off. He's a kid and you throw him on national news? How incredibly inappropriate!
He's a 23 year old ADULT! And that kind of hate is learned at home
A 23-year old isn't supposed to be a kid. At 23, you're supposed to be a grown-up. At least that's how is used to be.
Kal Albert:
At 23 years of age, this man is not a "kid". Nor is he performing a job that you would assign to a "kid".
You seem to have gone out on a very shakey limb in order to defend this young man.
If he said something bad about his employer on his private time with his private computer could he be fired? If so then he should be fired! No argument from me and not defending as much as putting some context. In any event it seems outrage is very situational as to who is offended and when/how justice is delivered. Offend your company, old white men or Republicans and we laugh and titter and claim it's just a joke and ya'll too sensitive or it's protected speech! So my comment has more to do with the incredible double standard that's all. He's still a kid but he's no boy scout and certainly needs to learn a LOT more about life!
23 is an adult now? Not since Barry & Co. decided that 26-year-olds are children and must be covered by their parents' insurance.
Missed that re-definition of child, did we?
@mpa, your comment is just plain stupid.
What an arrogant individual to think that everybody was gonna jump on his Twitter bandwagon! And, stupid to boot. Unaware that none of the government programs pay for ambulances either.
I don't know, ambulance rides vs. cab fare. Sounds about right to me.
Google is your friend, dee. Even a little bit of research shows that medicaid and medicare cover some or all of ambulance fees.
23 is old enough to understand how to act like a professional. He is now a liability. If anyone dies in his care and there is any question about the quality of the care and the deceased falls into the categories he expressed bigotry against, there is almost guaranteed to be a lawsuit.
Perhaps the punk should consider a position as volunteer firefighter somewhere in North East Alaska.
He probably hates Native Americans as well, so he would be tweeting about the Inuits in no time!
Is it possible that he may have learned some of these beliefs at home as a child?
Does the government pick up the tab?
:)
It's sad that he will get to keep his job as an EMT because of who he is while my kid (also an EMT) can't get a job because there are so many unemployed EMTs now. In an effort to save money, many states are relying more heavily on volunteers and the military.
You have to be a paramedic to get a job around here. Unfortunately, unless you have a job, you can't get the hours on the job to qualify for the paramedic training. It is a catch 22 situation. And yet guys like this take his job completely for granted...what a schmuck.
Sounds less like Twitter and more like Tourette's.
Now that guy makes me sick just by the sheer sight of him. Sometimes, I want to throw my beer bottle at the flatscreen.
It sure sounds like something a professional ghetto dweller would do; utilize $330.00 worth of EMT medical services to save $10.00 fare for a cab ride.
Truth be known if this was a black or hispanic person tweeting this it would not even make the news and if it did they would say whites are over reacting
Arabic Jesus banned, new user making personal attacks and using gay slurs.
No, thanks.
Those folks up North (i grew up in Manhattan)
Wow welcome to the Big Apple ...think of all the dirty names we could call him and his Dad. I agree kids learn these attitudes at home. Well he has pulled a weiner ...I hope he is suffering and I bet he's watching his back and front and getting ready to find a new job in a new state.
Twitter and FaceBook are great tools for revealing Stupid. I grew up in the south where racism and bigotry run rampant. The majority of people were Democrats just like my dad. It was very hard for me there becasue I have always treated people with respect no matteer what their race was. this caused a lot of friction with my family. By the time I was ten years old i knew that I wuld never be a Liberal Democrat. This young man and his attitudes if they are sincere and they seem to be should look for another line of work that doesn't involve working with people. I think that some investigation is needed into the Father.
I am retired from my consulting buisness that i ran for 30+ years. If I had given into the attitudes of my roots I don't think my business would have been successful. when hiring people the only criteria I had was ability. Race never entered into the selection process.I have had very successful Project Leaders that were of all races and gender. My company was totally colorblind as i think all companies and people should be. Base your judgments of people on Who they are as people not What they are as race or gender.
While liberals claim to be so open minded towards people the are the biggest bigots and racist i know of. The Democratic party is the party of enslavement. they were the Party of slaves before 1860's and then continued the practice through entielment programs right up untiltoday. Of course now they are Equal Opportunity in that anyone they can get on the welfare rolls are welcome to join them.
The Democrats of the 19th century became todays' republicans when the Civial Rights Act was passed in 1965. The republicans of Lincoln are now today's Democrats. Republicans still won't support equal rigts for women.
yes, you sound like a very tolerant person and all around super human being!
Mr. Hate, people like you who toot their own horn are usually liars. Also, your letter-writing skills suck and that tells me that you never owned a business. So STFU and quit the lying.
As Pete Townsend said so well..."The Party on the Left, is now the Party on the Right".
The Republicans of old and the "Dixiecrats" of the same era has swapped positions on racial equality and many other issues.